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This brown sugar pecan pie crust is fast and easy to make. No need for a rolling pin with this recipe, just press it in a pie plate or tart pan. It is just as easy as making a graham cracker crust and it has a rich, nutty, molasses-like flavor that is perfect for all your fall baking. You can even make it gluten-free with a simple substitution.
We recently pared this brown sugar pecan pie crust with our cranberry curd tart and our Southern sweet potato pie but it goes great with pumpkin pie, apple pie, chocolate pie… well the list is endless.
Tips for making a pecan pie crust:
The best way to grind the pecans:
This pie crust comes together extremely easy if you have a food processor. Honestly, in my opinion, it is the ONLY way to make this pie crust. You could grind the pecans in a blender but you will be more likely to make nut butter if you do it that way.
So, tip number 1 is to pull out your food processor. Tip number 1.5 is to buy a food processor if you don’t already have one 🙂
Get the right consistency:
After you add the pecans, sugar, and salt to the food processor hit the pulse button until you get a consistency that looks like sand. Don’t hit the process button and walk away because the nuts can get ground up too much. If that happens they will either turn into pecan butter or get too wet and sticky which will make a soggy crust.
One of the great features of a food processor is the ‘pulse’ button. When you repeatedly hit the pulse button, the nuts fly up, land and settle, then fly up again. It is perfect for chopping nuts.
Once the nuts are finely ground add the flour and give it a quick blitz.
When it is time to add the butter, keep the processor on while you drizzle the butter into the spout of the food processor.
Only process the mixture until it looks like loose, damp, sand. If you process it for too long the mixture will start to bind up in a ball. If that happens, add a couple of tablespoons of flour to loosen it up again.
Press the crumbs down firmly:
The mixture might seem loose but as soon as you press it down into a pie plate it will cling to the edges and bottom of the dish. Use your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup to press the mixture down. Make sure you press it down firmly. That is key to preventing a crumbly crust.
The crumbs for the pecan pie crust are easy to press and shape into the pie or tart pan. It presses down just like our shortbread pastry crust.
Freeze the crust:
Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork then stick it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Freezing the crust will help it keep its shape when it is time to bake.
Pre-bake the crust for the best results:
Pre-baking the crust will give it a better texture and flavor. It only takes 10 minutes and you don’t even need to use pie weights for this crust.
As long as you freeze the shell first and you didn’t make nut butter out of the pecans, the crust will not sag down the edges while it cooks.
Don’t bake the crust too long or it will burn. As a matter of fact, nuts tend to burn pretty quickly.
If you have to bake the pie or tart:
If you fill the pie crust with a filling that needs to be baked then you should protect the edges of the pie crust so it doesn’t burn. You can either fold strips of tin foil and mold them around the edge or you can use a pie crust shield which makes it really easy.
Do you grease the pan before adding the crust?
Since there is plenty of oil in the pecans, you do not need to grease the pie plate or the tart pan first. The baked crust comes out quite nicely. Of course, it doesn’t hurt if your grease it first.
Freezable brown sugar pecan pie crust.
You can make this pie crust in advance and freeze it for up to 3 months. To freeze the pie crust after it is pressed into the pie plate, place it in a 2.5-gallon resealable bag. Press as much air out of the bag as possible before sticking it in the freezer. If you want to store it for longer than 3 months, you can use a food saver vacuum sealer.
SOME OTHER RECIPES WE ARE SURE YOU WILL LOVE:
- This chocolate caramel tart has a creamy truffle-like filling along with gooey caramel and a rich ganache. It is love at first bite.
- Our French apple cake is so delicious. It is called a cake but it is more like a cross between a pie, a cake, and a custard. It is a reader favorite.
- Lemon meringue pie is a timeless classic and this is our go-to recipe. Tart, tangy, and perfectly delicious.
- Pecan pie and chocolate combine for the best of both worlds in this chocolate pecan pie. We used a flaky butter crust for this pie but you could use the brown sugar pecan pie crust if you want.
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Brown Sugar Pecan Pie Crust
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups raw pecan halves, 180 grams
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, 120 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, 105 grams
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened (100 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and roast until lightly toasted, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir the pecans halfway through the roasting time to make sure they toast evenly.
- Let the pecans cool down then place them in a food processor. Add the flour and salt. Process until the mixture looks like sand. Add the sugar and butter to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture clumps together in a ball.
- Press the dough into a pie dish or 10-inch tart pan. Use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust then stick it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pan in the oven and bake until slightly toasted, about 15 minutes. If the sides slump when you remove it from the oven, use a spoon to press it back in place while it is still warm.
Notes
- You can make the crust 2 to 3 days in advance or make it several months in advance and freeze it until you are ready to make your pie or tart.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
How do you make this crust gluten free 🤔
You can swap the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend. It works well with Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour and King Arthur all purpose gluten free flour. Thanks for the question.
You say in the description that “you don’t even need to use pie weights for this crust” but then the recipe calls for pie weights. Please clarify? Thank you.
Sorry about the confusion, I updated the recipe card. Thanks for the question.
If I make this crust a few days in advance, should I pre bake then leave in the fridge or leave in fridge and then pre bake the day I’m making and serving the pie? Sorry, new baker over here!
That’s a great question Austin. Either way will work just fine. I would go with whatever is more convenient for your schedule. Since you have to make sure the crust is well chilled before you bake it, it may be easiest to leave it in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to make the rest of your pie or tart.
Love pecans! Wish they weren’t so expensive over here. I guess walnuts would work just fine. The crust looks fantastic, Dahn.
Yes, Angie…Walnuts works great also!